Drying-rack for pottery.



H. J. McMASTER.

DRYING RACK FOR POTTERY.

APPLICATION FILED ocT. so. 1917.

Patented Mar. 5, 1918. 2 SHEETS-SHEET! 2 .1.

h tFbLFF F FLT? H. J. MDMASTEH.

DRYING RACK FOR POTTERY. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 20. m

Patented Mar. 5, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 5 (gm mum; Harry JjVcfl/cagkx all illilllillblfi.) STATES PATENT QFFICE.

HARRY J. lVIoMASTEB, 013' SEBRING, OHIO.

DRYING-RACK FOR POTTERY.

Application filed October 30, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, I'lARRY J. MoMnsTnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at trlebring, in the county of Mahoning and fitate of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Drying-Rack for Pottery, of which the following is a specification.

Thi invention relates to drying racks for pottery and has for its object to provide a device of this character which will eliminate a great portion of the labor of handling the pottery between the different operations in its manufacture.

Another object to provide a device of this haracter that will tend to reduce the loss in potteries due to the breakage incident upon necessary handling of the pottery by the present methods.

ll 'ith these objects in view the invention consists in the novel construction and ar- 'angement of parts, hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportions, size and minor details of construction may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of my device, showing one of the series of removable shelves in dotted lines in the position which it assumes while the pottery being removed therefrom and new ware placed thereon.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of my device with the extreme upper end of the central shaft broken away.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view through the track and rolling hanger therein.

Fig. 1i is a side elevation of the hanger with fragmentary portions of the supporting beam, track and shelf carrying beam.

F is a detail. perspective view of my latch member for holding two sections of track in alinement.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

in manufacturing pottery such as tableware and the like it is well known to those skilled in the art that the ware having been turned out upon a jigger is placed upon a Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 5, 1918.

Serial No. 199,245.

rack or shelf by the jiggerman, is then con veyed by another workman, usually a boy, to shelves or 'aeks where it is placed until it has become su'lliciently dried to enable another workman to begin the next process in manufacture, known as finishing, which consists of removing the rough edges from the dried clay. The drying racks are usually located at a distance of fifteen to thirty feet from the jiggcr, and about an equal distance from the finishers machine, which necessitates carrying the mold bearing the newly formed soft clay ware from the jigger to the drying rack as above described, and then when sutliciently dried to permit of handling without danger of misshaping the ware, to the finisher. By this method considerable time is lost in simply carrying the ware from on step in the process to another and considerable loss due to breakage results from such handling of the ware.

My device is designed to eliminate the necessity for the workman, who is now employed to simply carry the pottery between the drying racks and the above mentioned steps in the manufacture.

Referring particularly to Fig. 2 of the drawings the jiggerman or workman who first forms the ware in soft clay upon a mold stands approximately at the position indicated by r facing in the direction indicated by the arrow, his jigger machine of course being located immediately in front of him. The finisher or workman who removes the rough edges from the ware after it has become sufficiently dried stands approximately at the point indicated by B, also facing in the direction of the arrow and of course with his machine located immediately in front of him. My drying rack is therefore arranged in the most convenient manner for both workmen and is constructed as follows: a central vertical shaft 1 resting upon a ball bearing base 2 is arranged centrally of the drying room. Near the upper extremity of the shaft 1 is an annular collar 3 with a laterally extending flange and spaced :1 short distance below the collar 3 is a substantially similar collar 4i. A series of holes adapted to receive bolts 5 are formed in the laterally extending flange of the collar f and a series of horizontal beams 6 having holes, adapted to register with the holes in the flange of the collar 4, adjacent one,

6. Turn-buckles 8 below the beams 6.

and

end thereof are placed upon the said flange and secured thereto by means of the bolts 5. A series of holes is also formed in the flange of the collar 3, the saidholesbeing adapted to receive one end of tie-rods 7 which extend downwardly and outwardly and are secured at their opposite ends to the beams are placed inte'niediate the ends of the tie-rods for a purpose here inafter to be set forth. Depending from the beam 6 and bolted thereto are clips 9 clearly shown in Figs. 3 and l, which are adapted to support tubular track sections 10 arranged As shown in Fig. 2, 1 connect the beams 6 by means of lateral imembersll which are located at a point near the inner extremities of sald beams.

A. series ofsimilar supports 12 are located .near the outer eKtremitles of said beams and 20,.

intermediate the ends of each section of said supports 11 and 12 I secure a beam 14: simi- ,lar tothe beams 6, except thatthey are shorter than sald beams 6 and beneath the said beams 1&1 support: tubular track section 10 identical, except in length, with the sections supported beneath the beams (i. Tie-rods with turn-buckles therein identical with the tie-rods supporting beams 6 are attached to the beams 1 1 and collar 3.

Located'within each of the track sections is a pair of truck members 15, the said truck members having bifurcated ends 16 in which are located rollers 17, which are adapted to operate within the said track. .l-l. slot 18 as clearly shown in Fig. 3 is formed longitudina ly of each track section for its entire length and the upper section 19 of a hanger secured to the said truckmembers and entends downwardly through the slot 18. The lower section 20 of the said hanger is hingedly secured to the section 19 as shown and is adapted to straddle a beam 21 to which it .is bolted. Secured to either end of the beams 21 and extending downwardly therefrom are planks 22, which form end sup ports for a series of shelves 23.

The whole of the above described structure is adapted to be placed within a roonti, the walls of which are indicated at G and in the front wall is located an opening 1) for a purpose to be hereinafter pointed out. Secured to the ceiling just outside the room above mentioned and adjacent the wall with the opening Dtherein are downwardly GK- tending members 2 1-, to the lower ends of which are secured a beam 25 substantially similar to the beams 6 and secured'thereunder by means of clips 26 is a tubular track section 27 identical with the track sections 10. Thisbeam 25 with its track section E27 is disposed radially to the shaft 1 and islocated opposite the opening 1). Each of the beams 6 and 14-. with its track section 10,

ana tea Pivoted to the upper side of the beam 25 at the end nearest the opening D is a latch member Q8, which has outwardly extending inclined portions 29 clearly shown in Fig. 5. A flexible member 30 is secured at one end to an eye located upon the upper side of the latch 28, the said member 30 passing upwardly and over a suitable pulley 31 which is secured to one of the members at as shown in Fig. 1, and then extends downwardly and has upon its other end, a handle which is within easyreach of the workman located at the point A previously mentioned.

Upon the end of each of the beams 6 and lat is anupwardly extending lug 35 which is adapted to wipe under the IHOllllJlil'SQQ as the ac]; is rotated, thereby lifting the latch 28, the latch. dropping over the lug 35 when. it has come into register with the channel portion 36 of the said latch. By means of the turn-buckles 8 located in the tie-rods 7 it is possible to make such adjustment as will always keep the sections 10 of the track in perfect alinenient with the section 27. By using the hinged connections between the sectionsltl and 20 of the hangers depending from the roller trucks, danger of throwing the ware from the shelves by suddenly-starting to rotate the frame, is eliminated, since this hinge support will permit the shelf sec lions to give a trifle or swing slightly, the centrifugal force holding the mold upon the shelf.

In operation my device is as follows: ltach shelf 23 of the rack will be supposed to contain a row of empty molds. The rack will be turned until. one of the beams 6 or 14-. is brought into alinement with the beam as, the latch 28 then dropping into place to lock the said rack against further rotation. A section of shelving is then moved outwardly from the room by virtue of its rollers l7 and the track sections 10 and 271m- .til the said section of shelving assumes the molds, one at a time, from each shelf form- 1 ing ware upon the said molds and replacing them upon the shelves. Having filled each mold upon each of the shelves the workman then rolls the section of shelves back until it is oncemore supported beneath the track s ction 10, he then; gives a downwardpull on thchandle 32 lifting the latch 28 out of engagement with the lug 35 and permitting rotation of the rack to bring the next shelf section into alinenient with the beam 25. The handle 32 having been released by the workman soon as thefirst section began to move the latch will now be operated as before, locking the next section in alinement.

. his operation being repeated until each of that the frame has made one complete rcvolution, bringing the first filled section back to register with the opening D, the were which had been placed upon it has become sulliciently dried for the finisher to lGIllOVG it from the molds for the finishing process, the section againbeing rolled out through the opening D on to the t 'aclt 27 Where the ware is removed from the molds by the finisher. the empty mold being left upon the shelf to ha re a fresh piece of ware placed upon it by the jiggcrman. It is obvious by this method that the w'afkmen previously necessary to carry the wars back and forth is eliminated, much time therefore being saved and since the ware requires about fifty per cent. less handling, a great deal of breakage due to such handling is also eliminated.

flaring :l'ully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

'1. In a drying rack for pottery of the character described, a vertical shaft, a plurality of radially disposed arms supported upon said shaft, tubular track sections secured beneath said radial arms, rollers adapted to move Within said track sections, supporting; hangers dt-ipending from said rollers and adapted to carry sections containing a series of horizontally disposed shelves, a single track section located at a point adjacent said radial arms and means for temporarily locking the said radial arms in alinement with the said single track section.

2. In a drying rack for pottery of the character described, a vertical shaft, radially disposed arms supported upon said shaft and cxtendetl therefrom, tubular track scctions secured beneath. said radial arms, a single track section located adjacent said radial arms, each of said track sections beneai'h said radial arms being adapted to be mored into alinement with said single track section and means for insuring accurate rertical alinemcl'it between said single track section and tract: sections supported be neatli said vertical arms.

3. In a drying rack for pottery of the character described, a vertical shaft, 12 dially disposed arms supported upon said shaft and extended therefrom, tubular track sections secured beneath said radial arms, a single track section located adjacent said radial arms, each of said track sections beneath said radial arms being adapted to be moved into alinenient with said single track section and means for temporarily locking each of said track sections supported beneath the radial arms in alinement with said single track section.

4-. In a drying rack for pottery of the character described, a vertical shaft adapted to rotate upon a ball bearing base, a plurality of radially disposed arms supported upon said shaft and extending therefrom, a tubular track section supported beneath each of said radial arms, a series of hori zoutally disposed sheli'es hingedly connected to roller carrying members, said rollers being adapted to operate upon the inner surface of said tubular track, the said tubular tracks each bein adapted to be brought into alinement with a single tubular track, the said rollers moving from the t 'ack sections beneath said radial arms to the single track section. alincd therewith, thereby carrying the said series of shelves depended therefrom to a position beneath said single track section.

5. In a pottery drying rack of the character described, a vertical shaft adapted to be rotated upon a ball bearing base, a collar secured to said shaft intermediate its ends, a series of arm members bolted to said colla r and extending radially from said shaft, a series of supports connecting said arm members and a second series of radial arms secured to said supports at a. point intermediate the first series of said radial arms, each o 3' both series of said radial arms having suspended thereunder a tubular track section, a single tubular t 'ack section arranged radially to said shaft and spaced therefrom the length of one of said first mentioned series of radial arms, the track section be heath each of said 'adial arms being adapt ed to be moved into alinement with said single track section and means for temporarily locking the track sections in such alinement.

6. In a pottery drying rack of the cha acter described, a vertical shaft adapted to be rotatt-id upon a ball bearing base, a collar secured to said shaft intermediate its ends, a series of arm members bolted to said collar and extending radially from said shaft, a series of supports connecting said arm members and a second series of radial arms socured to said supports at a point intermediate the first series of said radial arms, each of both series of said radial arms having suspended thereunder a tubular track section. a single tubular track section disposed. radially to said shaft and spaced therefron'i the length of one of said first mentioned series of radial. arms, the track section beneath each of said radial arms being adapted to be moved into alinement with said single track section, a second col lar secured to said shaft at a point above the first mentioned collar, tie-rods secured at one end to each of said radial arms and at the other end to the second mentioned collar, adjusting means upon each of said tierods for insuringperfect vertical alinement between the track sections beneath said radial arms and the said single track section.

7. In a drying rack for pottery of the character described, a vertical shaft, :1 plu- I'ality of radially disposed LLI'lllSSUPPOllZGCl upon said shaft, track sections beneath said radial arms, a truck prcvided with rollers adapted to move upon said track sections, supporting hangers adapted to carry a series of horizontally disposed shelves, a single track section located at a point adjacent the SWEEP of the outer ends of the radial arms and means for temporarily locking said radial arms in alineinent with said sin- 10 glc track section.

In testimony that I claim the above, I have hereunto subscribed myname.

HARRY J. MCMASTER.

fiopies 0! this patent may be obtained for five cents each, "by addressing the Commissiuuer of Patenta, Washington, H. U. 

